The one with the awesome books

So, I took a bit of time off of the blog and my Etsy store to be with family. And, for those of you who blessed us with your prayers and thoughts, I thank you so very much. It meant the world to us.

Now, I feel that our life is settling down a tiny bit- so I'm going to crank out posts while things are quiet, mmmkayyy?

First things first, I have beaucoup book reviews that I NEED to get published ASAP or the publishing houses may send me dreaded reminder emails. Blah. Also, ** I received these books complimentary in exchange for my honest opinion.**

This book is a great reminder of how God wants you to share your life with your community. Dr. Leslie Parrott explains that you need to open up to people God brings in your life. You never know how He will use that person to help you in your daily Christian walk. Even if you tend to be very guarded and not always welcoming people to your inner circle, Dr. Leslie Parrott explains why this is important as you travel through your four stages of spiritual growth- quest, calling, crisis and communion. This book is perfect when you find yourself in a friendship dry spell, or it would be excellent as a gift to a friend!

Jesus, Bread, & Chocolate John Joseph Thompson

Great book, lots of colorful stories infused with, as the title suggests, Jesus, bread, and chocolate. John J. Thompson also sprinkles faith based messages in with his passion of music. It is an easy but astounding read; always looping back and tying in the message of Jesus with his stories, which I love and believe many will resonate with. This book really makes me stop and think about how I approach my faith- is it an authentic approach because it's what I want, or is it a mass-marketed approach because it's what I've absorbed from watching TV, or hearing others speak. Basically, it forces you to think about how you want to be in daily life and your walk with Christ, do you want to conform to this world or do you want to do this life in your own, authentic way?

This book was visually appealing. The recipes seem to be fairly easy, and many follow along the "Why didn't I think of that?" train of thought. I love that they also include recipes for how to use the finished infused product. I think this book may be geared more towards someone who has a lot of time to prepare the infusions. Where as I tend to just go out and buy them. Photography is superb. The book is a tad bit heavy which brings me to my only gripe about this book- I believe it would be better with a hardback.

Vince Antonucci is an artist. He takes people's stories, weaves them throughout the book, and all the while, you start to get a picture in your mind's eye that God truly loves you. If he loves all these people in the stories, he's bound to love you. It doesn't matter where you are in life, if you're on the top- your life is perfect, or if you've hit rock bottom and think there is no way you can pick yourself up again. God is with you and loves you. And this book makes sure you know it by showing you God's love in real stories and examples. This is one of those books that you save on your bookshelf, because you know at some point in your life, you're going to need to read it again to be reminded just how much God loves you.

Whew! Now I'm all caught up on book reviews, and I can get to my fun book- I'm reading How to Kill a Mockingbird again so I can dive into Go Set a Watchman.

Thank you so much for reading The Artsy Cajun! I love meeting new people, so please don't be afraid to comment below! Make sure you're not a no-reply blogger so I can write back especially if you noticed I do not respond to your comments.

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